-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Thousands of children in England have been sexually exploited by gangs or groups of men or are at high risk of sexual exploitation , according to a report released Wednesday .

The report , which calls for urgent action to protect young people , comes amid wide public concern prompted by revelations of child abuse by a former BBC TV presenter , Jimmy Savile .

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There were 2,409 victims of child sexual exploitation in gangs or groups from August 2010 to October 2011 , the inquiry by the Office of the Children 's Commissioner found .

Another 16,500 children in England were identified as being at high risk of sexual exploitation during the year from April 2010 to March 2011 .

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Maggie Atkinson , Children 's Commissioner for England , described the report , titled `` I thought I was the only one . The only one in the world , '' as `` a wake-up call '' for the nation .

The report is based on the findings from the first year of a two-year study , based on evidence from the government , police , local authorities , health services , voluntary workers and young people .

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Deputy Children 's Commissioner Sue Berelowitz , who is leading the inquiry , said : `` The reality is that each year thousands of children in England are raped and abused by people seeking to humiliate , violate and control them . The impact on their lives is devastating .

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`` These children have been abducted , trafficked , beaten and threatened after being drawn into a web of sexual violence sometimes by promises of love and sometimes simply because they know there is no alternative .

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`` This abuse and violence can be relentless and take place anywhere -- as they go home from school , as they walk to the shops , in their local park . ''

Berelowitz said the study found the majority of perpetrators were male and that they ranged in age from young adolescents to older men .

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`` The evidence is clear that they come from all ethnic groups and so do their victims -- contrary to what some may wish to believe , '' she said .

In a high-profile court case earlier this year , nine men were jailed for `` grooming , '' sexually abusing and raping five girls , one of them only 13 , in Rochdale , Greater Manchester . The men were all of Asian origin and the girls were white , prompting questions over whether the perpetrators ' ethnic origin was a factor in their actions or in the failure of local authorities to uncover the child abuse ring sooner .

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The report suggests better record-keeping is needed in order for the ethnicity of perpetrators in gangs , many of whom are never arrested or convicted for sexually exploiting minors , to be tracked .

The victims come from a range of ethnic backgrounds but 28 % are from black or minority backgrounds -- higher than previously thought , the report says . Of the 2,409 victims reported to the inquiry , 155 were identified as also being perpetrators of child sexual exploitation , in what the report describes as a `` deeply troubling '' overlap .

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Atkinson , the Children 's Commissioner for England , urged people to look out for the signs of sexual exploitation in young people around them . `` Each and every one of us owes it to all victims to be vigilant , to listen and to act to stop the sexual exploitation of children , '' she said .

The report 's list of warning signs includes children going missing from home , care homes or school ; repeated sexually transmitted infections ; committing crimes ; misuse of drugs or alcohol ; self harm and other physical injuries .

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The issue of child sexual exploitation is in the forefront of many people 's minds following wide UK media coverage of a series of scandals .

The furor erupted several weeks ago with the claims against Savile , who died last year but who police now believe sexually abused as many as 300 young women and girls , sometimes on BBC premises , in past decades . Two other men have been arrested in connection with the investigation .

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Also in the past month , a BBC program looking into historic sex abuse allegations at children 's homes in Wales in the 1970s and 1980s alleged that a Conservative , Thatcher-era politician , whom it did not name , had been among the children 's abusers . Internet speculation over who that politician might be led to Lord McAlpine being falsely identified via Twitter . He is now planning multiple libel suits , and the BBC has already settled .

A number of government inquiries have been launched as a result of questions over how past allegations were handled .

CNN 's Susannah Palk contributed to this report .

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Report : 2,400 children were victims of sexual exploitation by gangs or groups over 14 months

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Another 16,500 young people in England were at high risk of being sexually exploited

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The report comes in the wake of a series of scandals involving sexual abuse of children

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Its findings are a wake-up call , says the children 's commissioner for England